Reflector lamp assemblies are widely used for both indoor and outdoor lighting. Such assemblies include a lamp capsule, which may be a tungsten incandescent lamp, a tungsten halogen lamp or a high intensity discharge lamp, mounted at the center of a reflector. The reflector is typically parabolic in shape, and the front of the reflector is covered with a lens. Electrical energy is provided to the lamp capsule through a connector mounted on the rear of the reflector. The reflector is typically made of glass having a reflective coating on its inner surface. Light from the lamp capsule is directed in a preferred direction by the reflector.
While prior art reflector lamp assemblies have provided satisfactory performance, assembly techniques have been relatively complex and expensive. Current processes for securing a lamp capsule into a reflector involve either welding the capsule electrical leads to heavier leads which are soldered to ferrules at the base of the reflector, or cementing the press seal of the lamp capsule into the throat of the reflector. Both of these processes involve several precise, expensive and often labor intensive operations. Processing time is greatly extended due to cement curing requirements. Both welding and cement can damage the reflector surface.
One important requirement is that the center of light output from the lamp capsule must coincide with the focal point of the reflector. Deviations from this requirement degrade the light output pattern. Alignment of the lamp capsule so that the filament is in the optimum optical location in the reflector currently involves difficult manufacturing processes. In one process, the light capsule is energized and is moved within the reflector until the optimum location is found. Then, cement is applied. This is a slow and labor intensive process.
Current processes for attaching the electrical connector to the reflector assembly involve cementing, welding or peening. All of these processes have manufacturing and cost disadvantages. Cementing causes severe maintenance problems and prolongs production cycle time due to curing requirements. Welding can damage both the appearance and the mechanical properties of the connector and the reflector. Peening can lead to broken lamps and loose connectors.
Current processes for attaching a lens to a reflector include application of cement or epoxy, flame sealing and ringing. As noted above, cement and epoxy cause severe maintenance problems and prolong production cycle time due to curing requirements. Flame sealing is an expensive and complicated process and can result in thermal stress failures. Ringing, which involves the use of a clamp-like ring for securing the lens to the reflector, does not securely fasten the lens to the reflector. As a result, there is a likelihood that the lamp will chatter through its life.
The above-described assembly techniques result in permanent attachments between the lamp capsule, reflector, lens and connector. Prior art lamp assemblies have also utilized a variety of connector arrangements for mechanical mounting and electrical connection of lamp capsules. Typical assemblies are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,885,149, issued May 20, 1975 to Wolfe et al, 4,569,006, issued Feb. 4, 1986 to Bergin et al, 4,719,543, issued Jan. 12, 1988 to Coliandris et al, 4,752,710, issued June 21, 1988 to Devir et al and 4,724,353, issued Feb. 9, 1988 to Devir. All known prior art lamp assemblies involve a lamp base comprising one or more metal or plastic parts affixed to the base portion of the lamp capsule. The base is mounted in a socket. Such assemblies are relatively expensive to manufacture, since they involve multiple separate parts that must be assembled together. It is a general object of the present invention to provide improved reflector lamp assemblies. It is another object of the present invention to provide reflector lamp assemblies which are easy to manufacture and are low in cost. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a reflector lamp wherein a resilient plastic reflector snaps directly into an electrical connector.